We Were Good Boys
by Emperor Moon
Summary: Brothers until the end. Five young boys willingly jump into a raging war for their beloved country. Through hardships, danger and the looming risk of death, these brothers set their lives on the line to fight for Freedom, Democracy and Liberty during the Cold War era.
1. Chapter1, The Start of the Great Journey

**This story contains ample swearing through dialogue, details and allusions to death and violence. This story is based on real events** ** _but_** **is purely fictional and should not be taken seriously. I take the events mentioned during this story 100% seriously and have the full respect for the heroes who have fallen during war. Reader discretion is advised.**

The year was 1957, there were five boys, they were closer than brothers, they were a family. Three Michaels, William and Jonathan. To keep their identities private, they will be mentioned primarily by their nicknames, but to give perspective I'll use their first names to differentiate. The oldest of the group was Michael, known as Navy, who was a military boy at heart, he grew up on an army base with his father being a Colonel. The second oldest Michael was Crack. As legend goes, he has never lost an argument, and only one man was ever able to hold his own against Crack in the most brutal of topics, Government and Politics. However that person has been lost to history. Then the youngest Michael, Jig, an egotistical loud mouth with a passion that rivals the sun itself. William, usually Will, was the laxed, median age brother of the group. As relaxed as any person can be, a calm voice, but is easily aggravated when someone tries to smack talk him. Few have ever survived his roasts. Last, but not least, Jonathan, or Johnny. The same age as Will, he was the glue that kept the brothers together, he was able to settle almost any argument and can talk his way out of any problem. While Crack and Navy were confirmed Catholics, they were essentially forced to go to Church. But out of all of the brothers Johnny was fairly religious. Generally he was just a regular Christian, the kind that doesn't get in your face about it. I am Jig; the runt of the group, and I will be writing our story mostly in the 3rd person, and these are the stories of MWG, what that means is confidential.

In 1957, they were all in the same high school, which the name of the school has been lost to time, but was located near southern New York next to the border of New Jersey and not too far from the Atlantic Ocean. Jig and Crack resided in New York while the other three lived in New Jersey. The school itself was in the southernmost part of New York, but due to hard times the school allowed students from New Jersey to attend. And it was here that the brothers began their lifelong bond.

At the time, Navy was a senior, Crack was a junior and the others were sophomores. The five boys managed to have lunch together every day, where all sorts of conversations would take place. Ranging from how we wanted four more years of Eisenhower, who was their grandfather's hero during the Second World War, even to debating whether Navy was going to get with that piece of tail across the room. Most of their time in school was average, but of course there were certain events that will always remain in their memory.

Speaking of World War II, as mentioned each of them had a grandfather who fought in the Second World War. Navy's grandfather was on the USS Indianapolis when it delivered parts for the first atomic bomb that would be dropped on Hiroshima, however he departed at Tinian to escort the bomb parts, and was not aboard when she was sunk by a sub. Will and Crack's grandfather fought together on the Pacific front in the Marine Raiders, they managed to reach Shuri Castle after Okinawa, about four months before the end of World War II. Jig's grandfather flew in a Catalina boat plane in No. 209 Squadron RAF, he was tasked to assist Her Majesty's Navy in hunting down a battleship most dangerous that was spotted roughly 700 miles from Brest. Then Johnny's grandfather was the pilot of a B-29 Superfortess and was tasked with breaking German lines with 20,000lb bombs in conflict areas. Of all the heroes, Johnny's grandfather was the only one to die in combat, and was shot down by an 8.8 cm Flak cannon somewhere over eastern France.

While still a blur, there were some times that will always live on in their memories. Gym class was a unique one. Navy, Jig and Johnny were in the same class while Crack and Will were in their own. The only memories that stood out from the past was the Football unit, which the three brothers had a bond that made them an army of three. Navy was the star Quarterback or Receiver, depending on who was able to either catch his shots or throw far enough to reach him. While he didn't look it, Johnny was a tank and wouldn't let anything past him. Navy was the arm, who'd unless blitzed, launched the ball to Jig, who ran almost through anyone that Johnny didn't make eat dirt. With the blitzing, Navy got tunnel vision frequently, sometimes he couldn't catch anyone flanking him, and one unit some big German transfer blindsided Navy as he was throwing the football down range, and ended up disabling his throwing arm for a week. But that didn't stop Navy from playing. So Johnny became Quarterback, Jig was his guard and Navy was runner. However, neither Johnny nor Jig could throw accurately, so Navy would just take the ball right from Johnny and ran. From either our end zone, their end zone or some arbitrary yard in between he would run. But this time straight through anyone in his way, and would run, and run and run and was never stopped.

Then there was Science classes, Jig and Will were in the same Bio class. Other than the occasional frog dissection not much was of relevance there. Jig and Johnny had the same Math class; Jig was the star mathlete in the class and Johnny never liked numbers unless they were from the girls he was seeing. In English, Jig was stuck with an almost-failing Navy who could barely pass anything handed out to him. If only he paid attention in third grade English… Last but certainly not least, History, or rather Social Studies.

Jig, Crack and Johnny were in the same US History class. Jig was able to advance to the upper classes due to his successful grades in his prior years. But a sophomore in an advanced junior classroom wasn't going to be able to breeze through. It was that class that Jig worked his hardest, not only for the grades but to beat his rival; Crack. If Jig was a prodigy, then Crack was the Master of history, especially American History with all aspects of Government and Politics. Johnny too was a sophomore, but when he transferred from another school, the classes he took allowed him to move up by default. Jig tried his damnedest to beat Crack at any exam, quiz or even questions to the class, but all attempts remained futile. Crack was the kind of guy to think far enough ahead to Checkmate the king before the Chessboard was even set up. Jig was always second to Crack in all but one exam; Midyear was the review of World War II, and World War II was Jig's specialty. On the unit exam, due to getting a perfect score on the essay part, Jig's score was pushed to a 99, while Crack got a 98, due to having only a semi-perfect essay. His only mistake, was that he misused a semicolon in his third paragraph, which he attempted to use with a conjunction.

While it was different times, none of the boys drank or smoked since that stuff was for the lesser class. Navy drank Dr. Pepper, Crack and Jig drank Coca-Cola, Will drank Fanta and Johnny drank root beer. They'd spit on anyone who was caught drinking Pepsi, but of course not with their drink of choice. They lived between three to five miles from the beach, and that year the waters started warming up quickly. Navy and Will swam the fastest, Jig can hold his breath the longest and Crack had more endurance. Their competitions was the stuff of Olympic Games. They'd always try to outplay one another, and by the end of their competitions it would be close to midnight.

Around the school, it was barely arguable that Navy was the biggest senior on campus. The only people who'd ever mess with him and live were his siblings, both blood, not, and his parents. Even more evident, was that no one was allowed to mess with any of his brothers either and live. Big brother was always watching out for his family and would never let anyone touch them with only a few broken bones if he was feeling generous.

Some time during the school year, two juniors came up to Jig with malicious intent. They wanted to see if they could bully him out of his lunch money, but Jig only used money to buy Coca-Cola. They attempted to force Jig to bring money just for them. The time was a little after 12pm, after lunch was over. Jig was about 5'3" and the juniors were each 5'6". As if they all sensed their youngest kin in danger, each of the brothers appeared like shadows right behind the juniors as they were about to give Jig a beating. They were all more than 3 inches taller than the miscreants, with Navy being the tallest at 6'2". Navy put his hand on the shoulders of the two juniors, where originally they assumed it belong to some hall monitor and were about to play it off as a little joke, left to find Big Brother Navy with a soul ripping smile across his mouth, and their skin toned turning pearlescent white.

Navy proceeded to grab the juniors by their necks and lifted them off the floor, forcing them to drop Jig. He then whispered in their ear "Heh, nothing personal kids-" and tossed them into the wall behind him. They crashed, and Navy looked them in the eyes and said "Oh wait, it very much is..." It was by this point they realized how badly they screwed up. Only then did they noticed that the rest of the brothers were already on standby ready to give them their peace. Crack kneeling down next to one, whispering "You dun goofed boy", Will going down on the other whispering "What-you-fundae-son?" Johnny was helping Jig off the floor, and now the brothers were towering over the two juniors.

Realizing their mistake, the juniors went to their knees and begged forgiveness for their insolence. Navy then recognized the miscreants, they were on the junior football team, which gave Navy an idea; to use his connections with the coach to have some 'personal' lessons for them, under the pretense of intensive training. Navy smiled, looked almost through them, and said "Oh, don't ask me for forgiveness, you'll pay your dues to me in blood." he says with a fitting soul ripping tone. "It's him you should be asking forgiveness from." motioning to Jig. Crack then intervenes with "I don't know, I'm late to my Trig class now because of this trash..." Will adding "And I had to get my brand new jeans dirty because of these fuck boys." In fact each of them wanted some form of appeasement. One junior pleaded "We can give you our mone-" where Crack immediately cuts him off with a raised hand in the bitch-slapping form, following with "We don't want your filthy pocket change you get from sucking dick for bus money and walking home. No, we need something more than that…" The brothers looked around at each other, nodded, then Johnny demanded to do all their homework for the rest of the year (which is about a month and a half), no matter if they knew it or not. They both immediately complied with their demands. But Navy had a different plan in mind.

"While you're doing that for them, for me, we're going to have very 'special' football lessons after school for… oh… say three weeks?" One of the juniors replied "But I'll have no way of getting home". "Oh? So four weeks? Yeah that sounds fine." Navy replied, seemingly mishearing their pleas. "But I'm busy all month" said the other junior. "You know… You're right… Five weeks it is! I'll go to the Coach and ask him right now!" finished Navy. The juniors then realized any back talk will make their situation worse, proceeding to accept their punishment in shame. It was sealed from then on that no one would ever mess with any of the brothers again.

June came around, and prom night was happening. Navy was drafted by the school to be a 'hall monitor'; badge, hat, everything. His voice seemed to change anytime he mentioned his title. Navy and Will didn't have girlfriends to take however. Jig has had a girl since early freshman year, Johnny met some 5'2" girl less than a month prior, and Crack recently got a girl of his own. And as most love stories go they met at a bowling alley after dueling each other at skeeball, but the winner of the duel was never confirmed.

Because Navy was that kind of guy, he asked the school staff if he could deputize Will, as to not have him feel embarrassed for his lack of mate. Together, they patrolled all corners of the campus for anyone committing acts against school rule, and were ruthless in their hunt. By the end of the night, they caught two groups with marijuana, three groups with alcohol and almost four couples taking it a step too far. Almost, because one pair escaped into the vents of the bathroom and were never seen from again… that night at least.

Jig never danced, Crack had a lead foot but Johnny flowed with music. When the soft, slow dance music came on Johnny took his girl right out onto the floor. While he was a transfer, most of the school knew him since he was an all around likable guy. Those two took center stage and everyone moved away to let them show off. Johnny knew both the staff DJ and the student one as well. When he felt it was time, he motioned to them to kick things up. The starter was Jailhouse Rock by Elvis Presley, the epitome of teenage rebellion through music. Everyone was grooving to the beat. Few in the school didn't know Elvis, and everyone loved him and his music. Navy and Will were also very tempted to join in when suggested "If you can't find a partner use a wooden chair" during the song.

Navy went over to Jig and told him "You gotta do that one song. You've been working on it for a while and now's your chance". Nudging Jig over towards the stage. "Man, I ain't got the stuff to do that now. I don't have the voice or the flow". Jig tried to reel back into the crowd before he would get noticed, but Navy was the personification of a Jersey Barrier. "If you don't do it now, when then? Don't let your work go to waste; just… do it". Johnny noticed Jig's attempt to escape and knew what Navy was trying to push him into. Johnny motioned to the DJ to pass the mic to him; "Yo Jig-" Johnny yelled preceding to toss the mic to him. "You got this bro". Jig crumbled to the peer pressure and decided to take the spotlight. "DJ, G.I. Jive, B side" yelled Johnny with clearing the way for Jig.

Smooth jazz started playing for twenty seconds, guitar, and now Jig. "I got a gal, who's always late~ anytime we have a date, but I love her, yes I love her. I'm gonna walk right up to her gate, and see if I can get it straight; cause I want her. I'm gonna ask her~ Is you is or is you ain't my baby~. The way you're actin' lately makes me doubt. You's~ is still my baby, baby. Seems my flame in your heart's done gone out." Jig's been singing that song in the shower and to himself for few years, and hasn't had the courage to sing it in public until now. Rhythm N Blues was Jig's third favorite music genre, under Rock N Roll and Classical. Whilst the thirty second solo hit, Jig kept his eyes locked on his girl throughout. Most would think Jig's voice wouldn't mix well with Louis' style but he did surprisingly well for an amateur. Three minutes has passed and now Jig's on the last verse. "Is you is or is you ain't my baby~ Maybe baby's found somebody new~ Or~ is my baby still my ba-by true~". Jig got his share of applause and whistles, and his girl came to give him his own earnings. For about ten minutes the DJ played regular music for the crowd to dance to, but the brothers has other plans.

Finally, Navy went up to the DJ and gave him one last track. The song was just three months old and the brothers were waiting for the perfect moment to play this, and now was the time. A certain guitar rift hit, and the song was unanimously recognized as Johnny B. Goode by Chuck Berry. Unironically, it was Johnny's favorite song. He took his girl out onto the floor for one last groove in the spotlight and had the whole room shaking once more. Johnny was always the life of party and could make and boulder groove with just some finger snaps. As the song hit its lyrics, Jig took the mic and started singing with perfection. Swinging his girl in one arm, Johnny motioned to Crack to pass his guitar to him. Johnny spun her over to the sidelines, caught Crack's guitar and began rifting to the song.

The volume of the actual song was lowered so Jig's singing and Johnny's guitar overturned it, but the background music was still there. Johnny was keeping with the song, following Chuck Berry's style of movements with knee bends and guitar lifts. Jig and Johnny had the whole room at their mercy, having them under the spell of Rock n Roll. "He used to carry his guitar in a gunny sack. Go sit beneath the tree by the railroad track. Oh, the engineers would see him sittin' in the shade. Strummin' with the rhythm that the drivers made. The people passin' by they would stop and say. Oh my but that little country boy could play. Go go; Go Johnny go go…" Johnny and his guitar were one in the same, he hit every note in the solo without fault and kept going, occasionally adding his own bit of spice into it. "His mother told him 'Someday you will be a man, and you will be the leader of a big old band. Many people comin' from miles around, to hear you play your music when the sun go down. Maybe someday your name will be in lights~ saying 'Johnny B. Goode'' tonight. Go go. Go Johnny go…" The roughly three minute song finally ended and you could practically smell the endorphin everyone gave off. Johnny and Jig came in for a one handed hug and peaced it to the crowed. They returned to their brothers and lovers and continued dancing the night away.

It's now the end of June, and senior graduation was closing in. Navy was planning on staying on base for basic training after graduation, but not before he was sent off in style. The other boys scraped enough money together to order a limo, and with a little help from Navy's father, in secret of course, they pimped out that ride. Navy's outfit was that of any student going into military, and his ride was no different. They gave it a camo paint job, an M60 mounted on the top in front of the moon roof (they had to take out the firing pin because Democrats) and American flags on each corner of the limo. They rode into the lot in style with the US Navy's anthem Anchors Aweigh playing, less for his occupation more for his nickname. Jig went towards the stage, since he was in the orchestra that was playing the graduation music. Crack brought his Fender Broadcaster with him, since he was going to solo the National Anthem on stage. Will and Johnny were as close to the front as they could be, but since they weren't graduating they were behind the seniors.

Navy was a part of the class of 150 seniors who were graduating, somehow. The orchestra played Fanfare, the Processional and then it was time for the National Anthem. Crack walked up on the stage, plugged in the Broadcaster into his Tweed amp and rocked the entire amphitheater. Three measures in and the brothers were already tearing up over the beauty of the National Anthem. It was one of the longest minute and a halves they all wished could experience again. It was as if the United States, Liberty and all the Bald Eagles were throwing in their energy for Crack. After Crack's amazing playing he received a standing ovation. Then the orchestra played the Recessional for the seniors to start walking and receive their diplomas. Cheers and jeers were mixed between each person on stage, some loud and some quiet. Then Navy's walk came up; hooahs could be heard all around the amphitheater, they were immediately in sync as he walked up the steps. The cheering and chants continued even after he stepped off the stage back to his seat. After everyone received their diplomas the orchestra finished with the March of Carmen and then it was time to leave. However, it wasn't a limo that came to pick up the brothers. It was a Willy's M38 utility vehicle that was used in the Korean War. The Colonel had some extra connections for his son, and they rode them around town in style. They stopped by a McDonalds, back when they were good, then went to the bowling alley for one all night game. The owner was tipped to keep it open for longer than normal. By 3am, they finished with a hunger for more burgers.

Summer time was a time for the boys to lie around in the sun for hours, search for any suitable mates, if lacking any, on the beach and play card games with the utmost seriousness. There were the regular casino games of blackjack and poker, but Go Fish was where it was at. At no point did the intensity of the game rise lower than that of an atomic bomb, any player could make or break their chances of winning. On occasion, a game could go just one turn, and on others could last twenty minutes. They eventually had to play Go Fish by winning with the most pairs of cards, instead of who could get rid of their hand first. The brothers were all very conservative about how they used money back in those days, so there were no monetary bets during games. Instead, they used bottle caps. Coke caps were worth $20, Dr Pepper caps were worth $10 and Root Beer caps were worth $1, comparatively to regular betting chips. Since Jig and Crack drank a lot of Coke, they were the high rollers, however Navy drank Dr Pepper in excess and since Fanta wasn't Coke itself but a brand of Coca-Cola, Will's caps were still worth $10, therefore having more lower valued caps they could spare, making the games interesting. Johnny's family had a friend who worked for Stewart's Fountain Classics, so they had a lot of Root Beer to spare, and therefore a ton of caps. He'd bring in a carrier's bag full of them, so much in fact they all couldn't fit on the table.

Of all the holidays in the US, the 4th of July was their favorite. Fireworks, American Flags and radios playing the Star Spangled Banner on repeat all day. During the 4th of July, they'd take a road trip to Pennsylvania since they had few restrictions on fireworks. There were numerous places to find fireworks being set off, but they knew of a secret spot in a field where they could watch three different groups of fireworks being set off at the same time. And they didn't take no truck with them to get to their spot either.

The Colonel checked the rule book, made a few calls, informed the Highway Commissions and, under the guise of War Games testing, they were loaned a weaponless M59 APC to reach the destination. It was painted as if it were a patriot vehicle commissioned by the Army to spread patriotism, but in reality it was filled with five boys, their designated driver and a ton of supplies. The Colonel's top Major on base had a license to drive heavily armored vehicles for personal use, and was also like their Godfather in a sense. Whenever they were pulled over, he'd punch open the center hatch, leap out right into the officer's face and metaphorically cook them in a frying pan. Any Major can discipline troops, but it takes a real man to be able to talk down to officers like grunts and stand them at attention. As they noticed his Major Insignia they had no choice but to lament their error while being burned out. Twenty or so seconds would pass if it was a male officer, and twenty minutes if it were a female unless the Major smelled a butch. He'd order them off, jump back into the APC and continue driving.

There were crates stocked with sodas, a large tent with a moon roof; rather a cut off top with a transparent cover, their bags, mini-grill, propane and meats of many variety. Will was Top Chef, and had the ability to hear whether the meat was too raw, rare enough or medium rare. Anyone who wanted anything beyond medium rare, like well done, were asked politely, yet firmly, to leave. Jig was Sous Chef since he was the only one able to keep up with the orders, preparations and Will's cooking prowess. Crack and Navy were to set up the tent and Johnny was unloading the rest of the supplies off the APC. The fireworks always start at 1700 hours sharp and lasts for two hours, and they'd spend every minute eating, drinking and watching the fireworks. The radio was always playing, the fire was going and the food kept circulating all night even after the fireworks stopped. Crack also brought his Mossberg, since coyotes frequented the area, and the loud noises might run some of them right towards them, but there were never any encounters. Most nights go by without much trouble, and only one night in particular was the most memorable.

The Major forgot to apply the parking brake for the APC, so when they were packing up the supplies back, enough force was applied so that the APC started rolling, and the only one in there was Johnny. He had to drop the grill and reach the stick, with an empty crate blocking his path. Johnny, supposedly, leaped into the front despite the rumbling of the APC, and managed to push the stick into the back and push it into the braking position. By the time the APC fully stopped, it was halfway into the road, but surprisingly no one was driving on the road at the time. They had to spend an extra hour cleaning up the floor of the APC unless they wanted to face the Colonel's wrath.

Hello readers, I'm Emperor Moon and this is a story I've been working on this story for about half a year now. I wanted to publish this today to see how much attention a story like this could achieve. This is my first story on Fanfic. I was very thorough in my proof read but if anyone spots any grammar mistakes, has any writing tips or just personal opinions on the story go ahead and comment. I'm fully open to public comments and will not turn anyone away if they have genuine constructive criticisms. I have other chapters already done, and will release them depending on the number of views I get. I estimate the whole story would consist of roughly 7 to 9 chapters, but that's only an estimate. Thank you for reading.


	2. Chapter2, The Days Roll On

**This story contains ample swearing through dialogue, details and allusions to death and violence. This story is based on real events** ** _but_** **is purely fictional and should not be taken seriously. I take the events mentioned during this story 100% seriously and have the full respect for the heroes who have fallen during war. Reader discretion is advised.**

Fall of 1958, and only four brothers remain in school. Navy is helping his father with basic training of grunts along with some lesser jobs, while the others were still in school. The grouping of the brothers in their classes remained the same, except with one less member. Plus Crack completed his required Social Studies classes so he filled the spot with electives. One class was dedicated to teaching students 'How to argue', which Crack only took to prove how useless the class really was. Jig and Johnny had to take something, so they took up a class about World War II and the Holocaust.

Unanimously, there were certain types people they despised among all else. For historical reasons, they hated the Soviets, with their false propaganda, espionage and how they treat people. Then there are people who **think** they know everything, and they're really annoying to those people who do. And when some super-leftist starts calling the brothers out for apparently 'supporting the Neo-Nazi movement', for not being on the same political spectrum, there is no force on earth or heaven that could protect him from their wrath.

One day during the spring some kid was promoting the Soviet Union and how everyone who comes to live there will live in true freedom. The best thing would have been to ignore him, but the high school brothers couldn't hide their disgust as they passed by. The ignorant boy started pointing at them, calling them 'Fascist' and 'Nazis', and since World War II was just over a decade ago, the term Fascist wasn't exactly a compliment. As the better people, they decided to continue on ignoring him, but he was persistent. With the few people he had blindly following him, they decided to target the brothers as a whole, and while that was commendable to target the group instead of an individual, they were cruisin for a bruisin. The boy decided to approach them with his group of around four people behind him and tried to pick a fight. He didn't try to get physical, but instead threw insults. And as the brothers tried to ignore him, they ran in front of them trying to cut them off, only to be passed by like ghosts. When he realized they weren't listening, he decided to try again at a later time.

Everyone knew the best place to start a fight was either the flagpole or the lunchroom. However, the leftist had an apparent hatred for the United States and certainly her flag, so the brothers were confronted during lunch by the Communist supporters. For whatever reason they must of thought their cause was just and assumed that the other students would support him, but the boy must have not gotten the memo about the current Cold War. As the poor boy started calling the brothers out for being apparent Fascists, he only got looks of disgust. He eventually started calling out the whole room for being Fascists, so it was up to the brothers to put the boy in his place. They stood up from their seats, stood in front of the boy and began the roast one by one.

"The very fact that you attempt to stir up the whole room to get support shows how little you believe in your own cause" Crack began. "And when you turn on the whole room post-realization of how little support you have shows how petty you are." Will followed up with. Jig added "Moreover, when you thought to confront us during our time eating, our _free_ time, proves how little you care for people's rights, just like the Communists." and Johnny ended with "And the heinous assumption that you thought anyone cared about your opinion shows how little you understand about your 'Soviet Russia', since over there you don't have that freedom, or any freedoms for that matter."

The boy soon realized that he was turned into the public enemy in just four sentences, and began to get angry. Like a real hot potato he started glowing red with anger and let any rational thought completely elude him. He attempted to strike at the shortest one first, Jig, to only end up lying on the ground as if he tripped over. The boy got up and targeted Johnny as he was then the closest, to find all his swings missing by inches as Johnny shifted himself to the side. Then he switched to Will with a leaping dropkick and hitting nothing but air. As he turned to Crack he was only stared down like a misbehaving mutt, but at least dogs were actually taken seriously.

The boy ended up dropping to his knees crying in defeat. And as he wept the brothers silently went back to their seats and then the rest of the students to theirs. However, like any Communist he was a sore loser, and as a last resort he grabbed one of the student's nearby Coca-Cola bottles, made of glass of course, and rushed Jig. He tried throwing the bottle, only for Jig to catch it without looking. The boy was stunned, puzzled and utterly baffled. Turning towards him, Jig stated "Now, you might be wondering why you didn't hit me-" Jig then gestures to the bottle, "It's because it just knows better, like you should've before trying to pick a fight with us." finished Jig with a smirk. The war between the brothers and the Communist started and ended on the same day, not to say it wouldn't continue on another.

June came around, and once again it was time for prom. Similar to before, Will was still the only one without a mate, but was given the job as Hall Monitor with a returning Navy. Apparently, Navy managed to land a job as a par-time substitute for Social Studies classes and a full-time coach. They resumed their partnership as Hall Monitors, searching around for any school code infractions, misdemeanors and acts of ill repute. This time however, they only found a bunch of teens under the bleachers with what they presumed to be alcohol, but was only Dr Pepper. They took the sodas from the teens under the pretense of suspected alcohol, but just took it for themselves. Later that night, there were rumors of a bunch of seniors from a school near the coast of New Jersey raiding the prom with eggs and malcontent in mind. After the rumors began circulating, Navy and Will came to the others asking them to patrol the school grounds with them to ensure no students were to be harmed.

At roughly 10pm, the sound of loud music could be heard coming from the forest behind the school, and the boys went to investigate. The brothers changed into something more discreet, black jeans, shirt and face paint they borrowed from the football locker room. They approached the sound, to find a bunch of unrecognizable teenagers grabbing something out of the trunk of a car. When one of the teenagers pulled out a carton of eggs, the brothers began Operation Rolling Thunder.

They surrounded the teenagers on all sides, and Crack with a voice very menacing through a megaphone "What do you think you're doing in our swamp?" The teenagers were on guard now, but they couldn't tell where the voice was coming from. Will, with a megaphone himself, stated "If you leave peacefully you will not be harmed." the teenagers realized there were more than one person around them. Then Navy stated through his own megaphone "Any form of retaliation will be seen as an act of aggression, and will be returned with due response." The teenagers either had to leave, or test if it was a bluff, and they chose the only wrong answer. "You kids are asking for a beating with this, we don't take kindly to kids trying to pull a prank." said the tallest teenager. "If this were a prank we'd have cameras, but the only ones that are going to know about this are you and us" replied by Jig. "No cameras? Then no one is going to find out what happened tall of you!" yelled the tallest teenager, eggs in hand and gesturing with his friends to move out and find the brothers.

Retaliation, therefore an act of aggression and therefore to be treated with due response, the brothers were now hunting. There were seven teenagers from the other school and there were the five brothers armed with nothing but rope. Navy went after the leader and his co-leader alone, and the other brothers went after the remaining ones separately. One by one the teenagers were caught, hogtied and placed in a bush for later extraction. Whenever they thought they'd seen one of the brothers, there was already another right next to them. Three minutes later it was just the leader and co-leader still standing. Navy was silently standing in their path but could not be seen, and when the co-leader bumped into him Navy stated "Heh, going somewhere?" and he picked up the teenager and placed him in a net that sealed the teenager tight. Now, it was just the leader of the group.

What exactly was said between Navy and the leader wasn't clear, only that the leader decided to strike first, just to find himself on the dirt. He realized that his shoes have been tied together, then falling into some hanging rope, which was pulled back, put him onto his knees with another rope coming from behind him, swinging under then back over his arms and being held in place. The other brothers appeared out of the forest with the five other teenagers in tow. They were all pushed together next to each other, they were defeated. The brothers only stared at them, waiting for them to speak up. "Only now do we realize that our efforts have been thwarted and we admit complete and total defeat by your hands…" said the co-leader. The brothers were initially stunned by the ease of acceptance, plus the speaker's astute choice of words. In return for their compliance, the brothers dragged the group back to their car, untied the leader, threw the others in the back and let them leave without any more conflict. In total, pre to post Operation Rolling Thunder took about ten minutes, and was just another of many victories for MWG.

Now, it is Crack's time to graduate. The brothers rolled in with a limo, however Johnny wasn't present. Johnny throughout the school year ran for Student Council President, he ran unopposed and became the junior student council president, and had the honor of speaking in front of the senior graduates after the current senior president. Crack went to his seat, Jig went to the pit, Navy stood with all the teachers and Will was left to play the anthem. Crack gave him lessons on how to play the guitar, and was given the go ahead to perform. Will went up on the stage with the same guitar and amp Crack used the year before. The orchestra played Fanfare, the Processional and once more it was time for the National Anthem. "Please rise for our National Anthem". Everyone stood up, hats off. Will walked onto the stage, placed down the amp, plugged in his guitar and stared at the crowed. He was looking for encouragement from his family, and he most certainly got it. With a thumbs up from each of them, he began to play.

He held the first note for four seconds, and then he took the Star Spangled banner and gave it his own spin. Playing higher octave notes, pinching harmonics and vibrato at all the right spots. Every octave change invigorating the soul, every vibrato shaking the stadium and every pinch forcing a tear. For his best friend, Will would do nothing less than beyond the call of duty. By 'And the rocket's red glare' crying could be heard around the room but no one moved a muscle. Jig was clenching his violin, Navy his sunglasses, Johnny his hat and Crack his cap. Will was staring into space the entire time, not needing to look at the guitar, because he knew he wouldn't make a mistake. Tears visible down his cheeks and his stance stiff. By 'For the land of the free' Will fell to one knee, and by 'brave' he was down on both. Silence for five seconds, then eruption.

Applause from the whole area. A tweed amp can reach pretty far even on moderate volume. So people not even involved with graduation came in to hear. Someone even said that the nearby highway at a four way intersection has traffic halted because they could hear the song. Will was using the guitar to hold him up, the song taking everything he had out of him. About a minute passed and Will was assisted off stage into a seat. Now it was time for the seniors to get their diplomas.

This year it was 180 seniors graduating. Crack was announced a third of the way through with applause and cheers. Crack waved to the crowd, however, he noticed that his tassel was slowly unraveling as he went up on the stage. But due to luck, he managed to save it. Prior to going to the graduation he had a small sandwich which came with a toothpick that he was chewing on and he forgot to spit out. He took the unraveled tassel, spun it and jammed a toothpick into the threads, pinning it to the cap. He stuck it in far enough to not be noticeable but the tassel now looked stuck onto his cap. He fixed the malfunction in a few seconds, and still managed to notice a gaggle of females that he was close to but obviously wasn't in a relationship with. He tipped his cap and the girls melted. He shook hands with the Superintendent. grabbing his diploma and maintaining his pearly white smile as he exited the stage. Will was there at the end and they hugged one out. Will returned the guitar, however Crack refused and assured Will that he earned it.

After everything finished, all five of them got into Navy's first generation Dodge Dart and they went to a firing range over in Scranton to go enjoy themselves. Navy pre-ordered a range with a laundry list of weapons for the boys to fire. When they got there, the place was empty except for the eagerly awaiting Gun Master, shuffling them to the range. It was an open ended field with about ten individual firing posts. And they were lead to a storage closet. If it was manufactured by an American company, this guy had it. Preserved Kentucky Rifles, a Henry Nettleton inspected Single Action Army Colt locked in a case up to a couple of Springfield M14s.

"First thing first boys, we'll start you out with a few 2nd generation Single Action Army revolvers and work our way up." The Gun Master expected that everyone who came into his shop to know the basics of firing a gun, and Navy made sure not to disappoint. The previous summer Navy gave everyone the gun detail of Basic Training. He managed to teach each of them how to disassemble, clean and reassemble all American firearms that the base could offer. The brothers took a piece and went to the range with three full speed loaders and six in the chamber. They each spread into every other post and waited for the signal. The targets were about five meters away and were fresh for the practice. 'Beep'...'Ding'. A three second beep followed by a ding from a bell. The signal.

Navy went from standoff position to a straightforward hand over hand grip. No fancy shooting, and pulling back the hammer slowly with his thumb. Johnny did similar, except angled his arms so the gun was rotated a few degrees counter clockwise. Crack, Will and Jig each asked the Gun Master for a left handed speed pull gloves ment to pull back the hammer using their palms, which if they did without gloves they'd lose about a pound of skin in the process. Will did the cowboy duel stance into rapid firing the revolver, fanning the hammer at his hip. Crack did an angle swing to eye level, angled the gun a little to the left and did a short fan of the hammer. Jig did a mix of the prior two, with holding the gun more at his chest, fanned the hammer fast and twisting his elbow like the others.

After a few minutes they went through their ammo, and the Gun Master gave his two cents. "Navy boy, I could tell you're not used to a revolver". "What'd you just say?". "Excluding Mr. Showoff hip firing, you're the only one who didn't twist your elbow to absorb the recoil. Your stance is more for an automatic, like a 1911. And as for the rest of you… you're pretty good." The brothers returned their pieces, and went back to the storage room. "Alrighty then, now that I know you all know your firearms, I came up with a sort of game. I have four more weapons for you all to try out, but a special reward will be given to those you complete my challenges. And the winner at the end, which by the way is elimination, will get to fire this beauty…" Under a drape, there was a protruding figure which seemed to be a large firearm, but was still concealed to not reveal its identity. "This… is an original, battle worned, Maschinengewhr Modell 42… or more colloquially know as the MG42. My father was one of the Raiders, and survivors of D-Day, and he climbed the wall, went into the nests full of Krauts and claimed one of the five MG42s as his. He was able to disassemble it, mail it to himself and came back home to reassemble it. I have six fifty round belts ready to be used." Navy and Jig were intimately inspecting a marvel of German engineering. They were enthralled with one of the most dangerous weapons in the German arsenal. "But of course, only one person will get to fire it, so make sure you bring your A-Game."

"With that aside, next up, Remington Model 870, its a big boomstick that'll blow your shoulder if you don't hold it right. 12 Gauge, eight for each of you, first person to load them all up I'll let them use some slug rounds." He then set five 870s on a large table, slid a plastic shell holder with eight shells for each of them, took a timer and said "Begin".

Most expected Navy to shell them all in before anyone, but Will was the first to finish, with Navy having two left, and the others having four. "Alright lad, you won the first round, you want to finish what you started or use your reward now?" he asked Will. Will looked at his work, and then at the 870 in the Gun Master's hand, with a very mischievous smile. "I said a hip, hop, the hippie the hippie dibby hip hop hop and you don't stop to rock it to the bang bang boogie say up jump the boogie, to the rhythm of the boogie, the beat." As Will was free styling he grabbed the 870 out of the Gun Master's hands and took his loaded one, walked out to his post both shotguns in his hands. "I said bang bang boogie gonna cap them raps with these loaded gats and drop some smack on that ass with these sticks that go-" Pop! Pop! He fired both the shotguns, one handed placed against each shoulder. At first, he seemed to have controlled the recoil on both the guns fairly well despite what the Gun Master warned, but then Will put the shotguns on the post in front of him, turned to his brothers and went "Blap…". They then noticed that Will's shoulder didn't look right. He then collapsed to his knees, slid against the barrier with his arms to his sides and said under his breath "Someone… get me… a fuckin medic!"

Johnny ripped off Will's shirt and two butt stock sized bruises were on each shoulder. "I'm going to need ice, splints and a lot of wrapping tape." Johnny felt the area around the bruise, got the ice and held it against the bruises. After a few seconds, "Navy, Crack, come here and hold either of these ice packs up for me." They did as asked, and Johnny, using a glove, put his fingers under the packs and examined the bruised areas. "No internal bleeding, I can't feel any fractured bones, your clavicle seems intact… But your Glenohumeral joint seems loose, you probably just popped a joint you can't normally pop with just stretching, and a lot of gas bubbles built up and released all at once, that's what stunned your arms. Then the impact of the shotguns must of caused your current state of immobility in your arms. The build up of pain informed your brain not to move your arms so you won't cause any more damage. The bruise itself is normal for not having on a secondary cushion over your arm before firing a shotgun, let alone two of them. Keep your arms moving, but keep the ice on too. If you stagnate your arms now it'll hurt more later, but if you don't ice that bruise it'll cause damage. You're a lucky sum bitch I tell you what."

"Thanks Doc, but where's my morphine?" "You'll get plenty of morphine when you're dead, now go walk around the front, rotate your cuffs a lot and keep those packs close, by the time they melt you'll be ready to go again". Johnny was taught a few medical practices, detecting damage, examining bones and the proper treatments. "Well, now that that's out of the way, you boys go fire your shotguns, and I'll get the next batch of guns ready. And as for you son, for firing one of my guns without so much as a warning, not waiting for the signal would normally just get you kicked out, but since you performed a pretty bad ass feat, I'll just disqualify you for the rounds.", the Gun Master smiled and walked back into the closet. The boys followed, except Johnny who walked Will to the front. Will had the ice wrapped over his shirt. Crack grabbed Johnny's shotgun for him and they continued on. About a few more minutes later, they fired off their shells. "No wonder Will got hurt, these things have no cushioning, it's just more wood." complained Jig, stretching his shoulder. "They're probably not going to use this in the Army, it's too high recoil and the pump is stiff" exclaimed Navy. "Well, I'm not hearing any more rounds so I guess you're all done. Come in here and I'll give you your next weapons!" yelled the Gun Master.

An assortment of rifles were now laid down on the table. "These are Springfield Model 1922s, normally I'd offer M1903s, by my supplier forgot my .30-06s, so we have to use the .22LRs. The challenge for the game, now between the four of you, is accuracy at range without optics. I have targets 750 yards away, half its maximum range. You get just five chances to hit your target in either the chest or head. If you can manage three chest shots, two headshots or some cumulative mix, you're safe. They're loaded, now go out to your posts and ready up."

The brothers, excluding Will, went to their posts and eyeballed the target. "I'll give you one free bullet each to distance the target, but that's all you're getting" He handed each of them one extra bullet. 'Beep'... "Ding'. They each fired their test shot, Navy hit the lower left, Crack the groin, Jig upper right off the target and Johnny missed. Twenty shots later, they were done. The Gun Master got out his binoculars and examined the targets. "Navy; Two chest, one head, safe. Crack; three chest, safe. Jig; Two head, two chest, safe. Johnny, one chest… nothing. You're eliminated". "Rats…" Johnny looked disappointed, but he took his defeat to go check up on Will. "Alright, you three come with me, I already have the next batch ready"

"Say hello to the M1 Thompson, an original which came out right after the first World War. Treat this one with respect, they're old as trees and their ACPs don't screw around. And for a reward for this weapon, a fifty round drum mag will be given to the man who can answer this question: What was the first noted submachine gun in the world?" As soon as he finished his sentence, Navy and Jig, in unison, said "The MP18. It was a development of Hugo Schmeisser in 1916 and produced by Theodor Bergmann under Bergmann Waffenfabrik, serving the German Army and others from 1918 through 1945. It operated from an open bolt/blowback principle and made use of 9x19mm Parabellum with a rate-of-fire equal to 500 rounds-per-minute." Navy knew German history, and Jig knew German weaponry, so it was bound to happen that they'd know the same thing. "Welp, I guess that means I'm out… damn…" Crack didn't even stand a chance, no amount of witty comebacks or snarky replies could save him from Navy and Jig's knowledge. "Don't worry, you'll still get to shoot, but these two get fifty round drums. And get to move on to the next round." "Yo Navy, get the hats and shades" said Jig. "Oh yeah, let's do it..." Jig and Navy were already dressed in a suit, but now they have pitch black fedoras and matching shades. Navy went to the car, grabbed their hats and shades and threw one pair to Jig.

They went to the posts, waited for the ding. "I got this…" said Jig to Navy. 'Ding'. "Hey Danny… the Don sends his regards…" Jig said in his best Italian accent. Navy and Jig then unloaded on a target barely 100 yards away." When they were done, there was nothing left but holes in a metal pole. "Riposa in pace" said Navy. "Bastardo" added Jig. They went back to the storage room and set down the Thompsons. "You boys definitely have Italian blood in your veins, do you know where from?" "Mine's from Sicily" said Navy, "And mine's Naples, we both have 10th century origins so we have original heritage" continued Jig. "Not surprising, I wouldn't doubt if you were sons of the Mafia." "Difference being I'm from New York, so I'm the more likely candidate, not like Jersey even has any organized Mafias anyway." "Hey, we totally have a Mafia far more experienced than New Yorkers!" replied Navy, bitter at the remark. "No ya don't!" replied Jig. "You callin me a liar?!" "I ain't callin ya for dinner!" They then lashed out at each other, forming a cloud of dust around them. When the Gun Master grabbed at them, they were still, Jig latched to Navy's back biting his shoulder and Navy was about to throw him over that shoulder. "No fighting in the war room! People died for the weapons you see here so show some damn respect!" They separated themselves, still showing signs of spite. "Huh… I guess up next is gonna prepare the winner for the final reward." He then rolled out two carts with what could only be described as perfect.

"These are two perfectly maintained Saco M60 General Purpose Machine Guns. Each with M13 belts along with 7.62 NATO rounds and fifth tracer rounds. For this challenge, I'm going to take you to the forest range in the door on the right. Roll these out for me and I'll tell you what to do next." They did as they were asked, and were met with a small, concealed range with trees. It was surrounded by bricks. "There are three layers of brick surrounding this field, it would take an anti-tank rifle to pierce these walls. They're also reinforced with special beads that, when heated, expand to fill up space. Similar to an airbag, they'll reduce the amount of energy in a passing bullet to decrease its power. So don't be worried if you miss" They separated four posts away from each other. "The final challenge for you two: You are equidistant away from an adjacent tree. With only one belt to spare, the first one to cut their tree into two will win. When you hear the ding, you may begin" The two put on earmuffs and stared eachother down. Both of them wanted desperately to shoot the MG42, and were ready to meet their destiny.

'Beep'... 'Ding'. Navy leaped to his machine gun and began firing dead center at the middle of the tree, attempting to cut it horizontally. Jig however, remained still, unmoved, and didn't even have his attention on the gun. He was inspecting the tree, seemingly for a weak point. Navy noticed Jig not moving, and just assumed who knew his place and was accepting his defeat. He was going to make snarky remarks, but wasn't going to give Jig the chance to come back. Navy didn't let go of the trigger. The Gun Master observed the scene, confused why Jig wasn't moving. "Boy! Did you hear the ding? You can start shooting now!" yelled the Gun Master. Jig looked to him, and merely smiled and waved. A few moments later, Navy finished his first belt, and tried moving onto the next, but the M60 overheated. "Gun Master, I need a new barrel!". "Did I say you could have a second barrel? You have the spare belt and that's all I promised." Navy went from cocky to worried, he would have to wait about a minute before being able to even touch the gun. He opened up the encasing to try to let it breath, and revealed a red hot barrel you could cook hotdogs on. Jig was still standing there, obviously uncaring about the whole thing. Navy was over halfway through the tree, and his last 100 rounds would definitely finish the job. "Hey… buddy… could I borrow that barrel of yours?" Navy jokingly asked Jig. "Hmm? Sure, I won't need it" Jig opened up his encasing and removed the barrel. He threw it to Navy, who was astonished. "What? Are you that sure you would lose to just give me this?" "Hmm? Who said I was going to lose? I had this win from the very beginning" Navy was still confused at the whole situation, Jig just gave him the key to victory yet boasts he already won, without firing a single bullet. "But you can't even fire ten rounds without a barrel or you'll break the encasings!" "Ten bullets? That should suffice". No one could even guess what Jig had in mind, he seemed so sure of himself yet hasn't made any attempts yet.

"Alright, if you're _sure_ that you'll win, let's make a bet. If you can win with ten bullets, I'll change the belts on the MG42 for you. And same for you if I win." "You win with ten bullets or just win?" "If I just win, disregarding the amount." "Sure, why not? Let's go on one, ready?" Jig put his hands on his M60, not moving it anywhere. "Ready", Navy prepared to change the barrel, and he'd maybe need fifty bullets to finish the job. "Drei...Zwei…" Jig steadied the machine gun. "Einz!" Navy began unloading the barrel, only slightly cooled off. 'Bang, bang, bang, bang, P-ang'. Four regular bullets and one tracer. Jig fired them not at the base, but upwards towards the top. Jig examined his work and went back to aiming. Navy put in his next belt and was slapping down the hatch, when five for shots could be heard. 'Bang, bang, bang, bang, P-ang'... 'Crack!'. Then a tree branch fell from the top of the tree and slams against the ground with a smack. A few moments later, the sound of a whistle, then "We have a winner!" from the Gun Master.

Navy was looking at the tree branch, then at his tree which was seconds away from being chopped, and when he heard the whistle he was awestruck. "Jig has successfully cut that tree into two parts, and has won the final challenge for today!" The Gun Master had a smirk, he realized Jigs plan all along, while rather sadistic, definitely thinking outside the box. "No… No. NO! NO! NO! THAT'S CHEATING!" Navy began his rant. "That doesn't count! That wasn't the objective! It was to cut the tree in half!" Navy continued in disbelief. "Are you sure about that? Gun Master, what was the goal of this challenge?" Jig asked. "The first one to cut their tree into two will win." replied the Gun Master. "Never did it imply cutting it in half, even though that would be statistically impossible to cut an object into two equal parts, it was just to cut it into two, period." Jig was strutting around, not yet gloating, but with a sense of victory indefinitely. "You see Navy, it's not that what I did 'wasn't the objective'. It's that it wasn't _your_ objective. When I said I already won, you should've realized I had everything planned out, and there's one thing you need to realize, Navy. Everything _always_ goes my way… Oh, and if you want to go argue with the ref, be my guest, I won't intervene." It was already over, Navy lost and Jig was the victor. "Come on in here and receive your reward boy" the Gun Master was rolling out the MG42 in the other area. "Oh and Navy, you're belt boy. Come on"

An emptied MG42 stands on Jig's post ready to be fed. Five ammo boxes lie next to it and one belt is wrapped on top of the gun. "Come one Navy, you lost the bet so feed it up." Navy sulked over to the gun and admired its beauty. Wooden butt, slim frame and a beautiful shade of black. It fired 7.92x57mm Mauser German Rifle rounds, and had a rate of fire of about 1,200 rounds per minute, with a new barrel needed after every 250 rounds.

"I feel so cheated, so betrayed and so distraught…" Navy wouldn't break a bet, but that didn't stop his melancholy. Navy knew how to fix any problem with German weaponry, and knew how to get the best accuracy to fire rate ratio, yet could only reload the gun for his smart ass younger brother. He hugged the gun, apologizing that he was unable to shoot it, and then got to work. Navy unraveled the first belt and slapped down the hatch and gave Jig the go ahead. Jig steadied the MG42 in front of his shoulder and aimed at his target, which was an old 'Gama Goat' personnel transporter. Jig adjusted his sights, and unloaded on the truck. Three seconds later, the belt was already gone. Jig popped open the hatch and let Navy go to work. Within four seconds Navy was done and let Jig continue. He fired more into the truck, and repeated the process twice more. When Jig was on his fourth belt, he stopped, and removed himself from the gun. He looked to Navy, and motioned him to the gun. "I know you'd do the same for me, so I'd feel like an ass if I didn't let you use it." Navy's eyes brightened up and he stares at the gun. He slowly puts himself behind the stock, nuzzles it a little and switches places with Jig. Navy aims down the sights, adjusts it to his level and begins firing. Seconds later the sound of sizzling can be heard. "Der Fass hat überhitzt, hilf mir, es zu ändern!" yelled Navy. Jig then opens the hatch and Navy picks up the other barrel. He hits up the hot barrel out and Jig slams in the new barrel latches up the gun. He reloads it and Navy finishes off the last belt. When they look up, there is little left of the truck. Swiss cheese looks more filled than the remains of the truck, Jig and Navy fist bump and proudly look upon their work. The other brothers come in and inspect the damage. "Alright, the games are done for today. Now… Get off my property, it's midnight and you need to leave."

1960, now only three of the brothers remain, and they're all seniors. Navy was still helping his father with new recruits, while Crack found a job at the local guitar shop. Now the younger brothers are setting their goals on completing high school and finding their own calling in life. Will was taking ROTC, Johnny was planning on studying religion and Jig was looking for a job in the Government. Without Crack and Navy, the whole school year was stale, repetitive and had no more life to it. While the remaining brothers still tried to enjoy themselves they couldn't escape the feeling of emptiness. And even though they still hung out every once and awhile they seemed to grow more distant, with nothing keeping them bound together. Not all in the world was right. For the past decade Vietnam started to become a hazard towards Democracy, and the United States have made it their duty to cease all acts against the free world. More and more of the Viet Minh started to take control and eventually lay claim in northern Vietnam. Months after the Viet Minh seized the north they were supposedly receiving assistance from their Communist neighbors, China and Russia. With the Cold War still continuing the US is slowly getting more and more pushed into Vietnam and a war is seemingly closing in, but nothing substantial has occurred just yet.

The remaining brothers continue their high school careers to get out with diplomas in hand and set off on their lives. Jig finds himself in an internship with a Secret Service firm just a half hour away in New City, New York. Will went with Navy into Army training and Johnny was somewhat interning at his church. The brothers still remained in contact, but they didn't have much time for congregations at their old meet ups.

 **Emporer Moon here again, the first chapter received about ten views now, and I say as a first time writer is commendable. So this is the second chapter in our** **story. Once more I'd like to encourage people to write reviews on my stories for critiscisms, ideas or preferences. I enjoy all forms of feedback as long as it is constructive in some form. In addition, I already have the next chapter 'done' but I still need to revise it. Stay tuned for the next chapter.  
** -Emporer Moon


	3. Chapter3, War Never Changes

**This story contains ample swearing through dialogue, details and allusions to death and violence. This story is based on real events** ** _but_** **is purely fictional and should not be taken seriously. I take the events mentioned during this story 100% seriously and have the full respect for the heroes who have fallen during war. Reader discretion is advised.**

Two years pass, everyone's still doing the same things they did prior, however Vietnam is getting worse. The current Viet Cong communist forces started uprising throughout Vietnam, and they are getting increasingly violent. Over time they started attacking civilians and then American forces as well. Eventually, US involvement in Vietnam became more and more realistic, and all the brothers knew something was going to happen. Navy was promoted to Staff Sergeant after his three years enlisted, and Will was waiting for his promotion from Army Specialist. Navy sent Jig, Crack and Johnny a letter requesting them to meet up at their old bowling alley, which by now became old and near death. When they got there, Navy and Will ordered each of them their specific drinks already on the table they always sat at. They reminisced about the past; how Navy was so close to a perfect game if the power didn't shut off just as he was making his last shot. How their team of five beat out a pro team from Pennsylvania, and retelling stories about the owner during his Mafioso days. They continued over their experiences in and out of high school, with Navy interrupting to bring up a question. He asked the others if they wanted to enlist before the war started, and it definitely was going to. The three were given a month to decide, however they reconvened a week later and all accepted. And so, all the brothers are now enlisted in the United States Army.

After all the tests; Crack, Jig and Johnny were given their rank as Private and started from there. Months passed before they were given their first gun to shoot while in the Army. Surplus M1 Garands from World War II, and they were tasked with shooting a target 50 meters away. Navy showed off with emptying a full clip in five seconds, all in the bullseye. The now Private 2nd Class' were given their own rifle. Crack and Johnny became accustomed to the rifles, Crack handling the recoil and Johnny with an almost instinctive accuracy. Jig, however, couldn't shoot as fast and had more difficulty handling it's weight and size. Navy's father was observing their training at the time, but when he saw Jig struggling he went to intervene. Navy's father took Jig away for a moment to the Armory. After some time they came back and Jig was holding an M1903a3 Springfield rifle. The Sergeant ordered him to shoot the target until his clip was empty. Jig readied his rifle over the sandbag in front of him. He then began firing, slowly at first, then began to bolt, fire and bolt in rapid succession until he emptied the clip. When he was done he hit the eye four times out of the five, where the first of the shots hit a ring below the target. The brothers were impressed, but Navy's father showed no emotion towards Jig's effort. He then told Jig to go up on the crow's nest, which would be roughly 150 meters away from the target and told him to shoot from there. The brothers were sceptical of the request, but Jig was already on his way with two spare clips in hand. Navy's father gave him something the others didn't see before he left. Two minutes later they saw him shine his hand mirror to tell the others he's ready. They backed a fair distance away as to not risk friendly fire, and Jig readied himself. His first shot hit the second ring, low and to the left of the center. Jig compensated and fired again, hitting the dot. Jig fired the rest of the clip, reloaded and fired more. After his 7th shot the wind started picking up and he could barely see the target due to the dust, but that didn't stop him. He immediately compensated perfectly without firing a test shot and hit the center with his last three bullets. He came back down and was greeted with compliments. Navy's father even cracked a smile, something the boys seldom witnessed.

After the fact Navy wanted to know what took Jig so long to get up there, he could crawl up there in half the time it took. Jig explained how some 'out of the oven' Corporals were trying to harass him as he was making his way to the nest. Pestering him with "What are you doing with such a big gun?" and "Where you taking it?" When he said the crow's nest, they started laughing and continued to interrupt him. They essentially were blocking the door into the nest with both their bodies and their insults. Jig then flashed a necklace that had a blood stained bullet cartridge connected to it; which belonged to Navy's father. The two Corporals immediately shut their mouths and moved out of the way. The cartridge itself was a .30-06 Springfield cartridge which belonged to Navy's grandfather. Supposedly, Navy's grandfather found the bloody cartridge on one of his dying friends during World War II, and he took it as a momento. Jig returned the item, and they continued with training, but not before the Father and Son were going to have a word with the Corporals they knew for sure were the culprits. Jig was deemed a gifted marksman and was given special training with long ranged rifles, while the others continued regular training.

Overtime, each of them acquired their own specialties with shooting and became experts with their respective tools. Crack mastered the M16's rate of fire, quirks and recoil, along with a Mossberg 500 Field with an extended seven round internal box mag. Johnny used an M1 Carbine, a semiautomatic rifle used back in World War II. Will used the new M60 machine gun, a big light machine gun that used 7.62s and can hold over a hundred rounds in a box mag. Jig upgraded to the Remington 700 and practiced with long range targets and moving targets during high winds. However, Navy wouldn't budge from using his beloved M1 Garand and M1911 which were becoming outdated in the military. Instead he learned to become a pilot. He flew around a Bell UH-1 Iroquois that had been implemented into the military for about a year now. But he wasn't an official pilot just yet. He needed to become the rank of 1st Lieutenant to even take the Simple Officer's Test. In the meantime, Captain Macmillan was the designated pilot, a former SAS operative who found a family in New Jersey and joined the Army to train Special Operatives, he was apparently a damn good Operator too.

For two more years they continued to train for the continuing conflict in Vietnam. And the two attacks on US ships in the Gulf of Tonkin in 1964 pushed the US to step in. Now in 1965, the US was already beginning air raids over Vietnam to suppress the guerilla fighters. The brothers became trained to kill with their respective arsenal, learned to live and breath their designated weapon day and night until it truly became an extension of themselves. Talks of sending in human bodies to combat the Communist Vietnamese started becoming more prevalent and all branches of the military began readying troops to be sent over. At first, the US played the defensive role; protecting Saigon, the people and setting the boundaries for more troops to come in. By fall, General Westmoreland began pushing troops north into Vietcong held zones. The brothers personally met William Westmoreland when Navy's father sent a letter about their capabilities in battle. They met on the USS Ranger where the brothers were briefed on a mission to escort an Ambassador to Saigon by land. The squad was given a brand new Huey to part from the boat, and the others had their customized rifles with them as well.

The Huey was custom upgraded with thicker armor plates, more dense propellers and a sturdier engine to hold up the added weight. The new Huey was customized to take one or two rocket hits and plenty of bullet holes. Crack added an extended stock, foregrip and enhanced iron sights onto his M16, and his Mossberg was painted with dark green camo **.** Johnny's carbine was converted to the select fire M2 variant. He also consulted an expert on adding a heavy barrel, reflex sight and a folding grip. Will's M60 was updated to have the gas cylinder and bipod removed due to how many issues they caused. He added a custom strap ment for hip firing and spraying in bursts, and replaced the bipod with two sticks on a hinge welded onto the bottom of the gun. Jig's Remington was used primarily with .300 Winchester Magnum rounds that are known to have high recoil effects on all firearms that use it. To counter this, Jig added a heavier, extended barrel and a small pole at the back of the stock that can be extended to reach the ground; allowing the user to put more body weight on the rifle. Jig also needed to add a tripod with a sort of connected strap on the bottom to allow him to steady his rifle on uneven surfaces, since Vietnam isn't really a flat country. Finally adding a 12x-20x scope for medium to long range.

Their first mission as a unit was a security detail for Ambassador Graham Martin during his travel to the US Embassy in Saigon. The journey would be from the port in Can Tho to Saigon, which was roughly a 100 mile distance, and it would be traveled in a MUTT151 all the way with no APCs to cover them. There were four cars, two dummies, one with three of the brothers and the last containing Jig, Navy and the Ambassador. Nothing happened by the time they got to Ben Tre, but once they left the city the risk of ambush steadily increased. There were no large guerilla forces within South Vietnam, instead many small bands in key areas around Saigon that would ambush anything, or anyone, that looked important. Still roughly 50 miles from Saigon there were signs that an ambush was imminent; deserted streets, abandoned buildings and a lot of shadows. Jig and Navy readied their rifles and radioed the others to be ready for anything. Less than a mile before they were supposed to turn a corner, the front car suddenly stopped, then the preceding cars followed suit and waited for something from the front.

Three double blinker flashes, 'We're changing the route/ moving forward/ follow close." The next car passed it on and so did the one before. They avoided the corner, and as they drove by there were signs that the road was dug up recently, most likely mines were buried on the route. Jig told Navy that something seemed off, not like attempted ambushes but more worrying. "If there are mines there-" Jig says with a worried tone "Do you think they knew we would take that corner or would it be a coincidence?" Navy turned to Jig, with a similar expression "That's not impossible, this whole area is rarely traveled on even by the Vietnamese, there's always the chance of an information leak." They decided to radio the other cars a coded message; "Blue moon… Blue moon." Blue Moon' was code for keeping radios silent and relay no vital information over the radio. Two minutes after the change more people started appearing along the streets, none of them looked like they were guerillas but you can't ever let your guard down. Then, as the numbers of people began to increase along the street the front car radioed in that they noticed an armed individual on the right side of the road and to get ready for combat. They turned their safeties off and readied their weapons outside of their windows. They noticed the armed individual, but were given orders not to fire unless fired upon. He was a very tanned male, maybe in his early forties, then again asians always look so young until they're seventy. His rifle looked to be an AK-47, but a wooden under barrel grip suggested it was a Type 56 instead. Civilians weren't allowed to carry any weapons, so he must of been a Communist warning them that 'You aren't safe here'.

As they kept on driving the front car spun out of control into a building and flipped onto its right side, and then a huge boom exploded right in front of them moments later. The preceding car was before a large hole kicking up piles of dirt. If whatever exploded blew up under the front car, it would have gone with the flames, but instead they swerved out before the explosion itself went off. The car was totaled, the engine block was almost half its original size and smoke was coming from it. The cars stopped to check for survivors, but the driver came out of the window, and threw a bag to the preceding car that happened to have Navy, Jig and the Ambassador. They understood it as a 'leave me behind and go on with the mission'. Before they left Navy threw a 1911 to the survivor.

The bag contained a map of South Vietnam with three drawn lines leading towards Saigon. There was a red circle, which looked like blood, signifying where the crash occurred. The remaining cars followed the secondary path to get to Saigon, and were ready for another ambush. The three brothers, then in the middle, signaled that their fuel was running low. Instead of having to stop the decoy truck in the back took their place to reduce air resistance and conserve more gas. Then there was gunfire. The second decoy truck was fired upon by what sounded to be an RPK, just a slightly bigger AK with a drum mag. The gunfire seemed to be coming from a two-story building on the left side of the road. The decoy truck swerved to the right, began drifting along the sidewalk until it flipped over. In hindsight, the assailant must of assumed the cars switching was because they were putting the VIP in the middle, but he was actually in the front. Two cars left, and two men MIA. The brothers fired into the window of the assailant, whether or not he was killed was unknown, but Crack stated he saw the assailant's head flinch back as if he was hit in the head. They assumed he was dead and began driving faster. Less than twenty miles from Saigon, it was a race to get there with the rest of them intact. Everyone's guns were pointed out the window ready to shoot, their eyes trained and fingers ready to fire. Closing in on the city, Navy noticed someone with a large drab over themselves, and noticed something reflective poking out under it as well. The individual threw off the drab and revealed a RPD, the RPK's heavier cousin and its user was pointing at the trucks. Navy unloaded half a clip into this assailant's head and was dropped before he could fire. Navy silenced before he became a threat.

Jig told the driver to slow down and gave the passenger a pair of sound suppressing headphones. Jig placed his rifle out of the passenger window from the back seat and trained his sights as far forward as he could. He noticed a suspicious looking box about three blocks down the road before asking the driver to slow down. He aimed at the center of the box and fired, the box flew off, revealing a trigger for a remote explosive that seemed to entail blowing up the building it was next to, causing it to collapse. Then a red light was seen from the gouged device, but nothing happened. They drove by, and Jig saw a shadow moving out of an alleyway to their left. Jig radioed Crack to "Pull to Port." Crack grabbed a frag, pulled the pin and threw it towards the alley. The shadow formed into another gun toter, which was quickly dispatched by the grenade. Finally, they passed a sign saying Saigon, and were now in the city. No communist would dare try something in the capital city, since the Army was ready to track them down and shoot mercilessly. The brothers, and their VIP, were safe. They reached the embassy, drove the ambassador into the compound and radioed command "The Pigeon has landed." Mission complete.

Navy radioed command that they lost the lead truck and the rear decoy along the way. He stated their last known coordinates and requested an armored transport to retrieve any survivors. "We can only send one APC and Med-Evac to the lead truck, but the rear decoy is too far into hazardous territory to Evac." Navy relayed the news to his brothers, and they all knew they couldn't leave him there. They commandeered their ride back and went down south to the crash site. Twenty miles later, they slowed the corner before the crashed truck. Jig tried to spot anything he could inside the car, but the tinted windows wouldn't reveal anything. They decided to rush to the front of the truck, currently laying on its right side, and force open the door before anything else could happen. Will jumped onto the driver door and peeled it off, revealing an empty vehicle. Johnny noticed a cracked window in the back with blood coming around the glass and leading into an alley a few feet behind the car. Will and Crack stacked up before the alleyway; Will rolled a flashlight pointing into the alley and Crack looked examined the alley using a mirror. He reported no movement and, asked Navy what the plan was. "We take the driver home or his dog tags with us; Jig and I will go down the alley, you three will go back towards the way we came to the connecting alley and move in there. Shoot anyone you don't know on sight, we're not losing anyone else." The others nodded and moved along with Navy's plan. The alley Jig and Navy were going down was about ten meters to a wall and the other's alley was fifteen meters long from the converging point. They moved in slow and ready for close quarters combat, Crack taking out his Mossberg with a "I like to keep this for close encounters."

Navy signaled the others that they were at the corner and the others moved up towards them. The blood trail continued down the alley, stopping at a door. Crack moved towards the door, Will went forward onto opposite side and waited for a signal. Will took his small flashlight and tapped it on the door, creating a quiet pattern of four constant taps. They waited four seconds and busted through the door. Their flashlights shining around a small room, with the blood trail continuing towards the opposite corner. They found the driver, bloody and gun trained on them. They shined the flashlight on themselves so the driver could recognize them. He released his arms, and with a "You finally came…" following his relief. "Kept you waiting huh?" replied Crack walking towards him. Will and Crack went to pick the driver up and carry him back to the truck. The driver took out the and handed it back to Navy. "This belongs to you, sir." Navy then turned away and listened to the surrounding area. "I'm hearing a lot of commotion, we need to hurry up, now!" with a rushing tone. They carried the driver in each of their arms while Johnny led the way to the truck.

A menacing air was beginning to coil around the brothers, as if they knew something bad was coming. Johnny peaked out of the alley, and he spotted a large group of people heading towards them, and they didn't look friendly. Will and Crack rushed over to the truck and the brothers began piling in, the mass of people still closing in on them. Once they all were in and doors were shut, the mob was continuing with their menacing aura. Navy started the truck, put it in reverse and headed back towards Saigon, but the mass of people were blocking the road ahead of them. Navy backed up to meet the center of the intersection, and another mass of people were coming from the way they came originally. There still was an open road to their left but they didn't know if they could get back to Saigon that way. Navy took the opening while still remaining cautious about any traps along the way. They continued to drive, only knowing that they needed to head north to get to Saigon. Without a map, they would have to drive blind in a country they've never been in and is filled with people who want them dead. They drove for five minutes until they noticed another mass of people ahead of them. How there were so many people now was a mystery, only that they had to avoid any combat as long as there was an injured man in the truck. A right turn appeared some yards before the mass and Navy sped up to reach the corner before the mob. As they turned the masses revealed they were in fact armed and confident enough to show off. The road continued north towards Saigon, but only two minutes passed before another mass of people appeared in front of them. Now they were forced into a four-way intersection and had to choose between going right and left. If they chose wrong they would end up going back on themselves, becoming ensnared in whatever plan the masses of people had for them.

In a moment of foresight, Jig remembered the map the lead truck gave them on their original journey. "What happened to the map we had? Isn't it still in here?" The brothers began rummaging through the truck looking for the map, which Navy found under his seat. "I think we're... here!" Navy said pointing at an intersection on the map "But how do we get to Saigon?" "The marked road that we didn't travel, we could follow the path and head back-" Jig said pointing at the line on the map. "go Navy, now!" Navy kicked the truck back into gear and began driving left. "Buckle up because I'm flooring it!" Navy said slamming on the gas. Fifty kilometers were between them and their next turn, and Navy needed to drift the corner to get out of dodge before they were shot at. Navy went to the left side of the road, and a few yards before the turn he began his drift into the corner. Throughout this people began poking out of alleyways and out of windows of buildings around them. If Navy couldn't complete the turn they would most likely end up dead, either by the crash or by any of the spectators with a gun and a grudge. Everyone shifted themselves to the right side of the truck to prevent it from tilting over, by the end of the turn they were practically driving on two wheels as the reached their next road. Three seconds after turning they returned to all four wheels and Navy regained control of the car.

The ride back to Saigon was fifteen miles away and they were completely free from any more commotion. They returned to the embassy, and got the driver a medic before he could lose any more blood. The doctor informed them "A few more minutes and the poor bastard would of bleed out. You got him in just in time." The brothers convened for their celebratory hoorahs and high fives for their successful mission, however their stunt didn't go unnoticed. Navy's father appeared out of the compound with an aura that would put a rabid dog to its back. As soon as the brothers saw him they immediately repented, Jig already writing down his last Will and Testament.

"You boys disobeyed orders, commandeered Army vehicles, left your post without permission and didn't inform **ANYONE** where you were heading?" began Navy's father at the now seated boys. They were in a room meant for interrogating POWs and traitors, and the boys were all but blindfolded on their seats. "Well, we were never given orders to remain at the embassy nor were we-" began Will as to try to defend them, being cut off by the livid Sergeant. "And now you think you can back talk me boy!? Who in the sam hell do you think you are that you could just interrupt your superior during your interrogation!? You either got a lot of balls or a whole lot more death wishes if you think speaking up is a good idea." "Sir, I know what we did was out of line but we did it with the best intentions." began Johnny. "The best intentions… some of the worst things imaginable have been done with the best intentions!" replied the Sergeant. He looked even more livid as he was chewing out the brothers. "I told the General you boys would be great soldiers! I promised Westmoreland that you could become what America and Lady Liberty needed to defeat this Communist threat! And now you almost squander both your chances and my reputation with desertion and theft?! If I were any other man you would all be court martialed and be sent to their gulags because your actions aren't to be known by Lady Liberty!" The boys couldn't say anything, they could only wait out the Sergeant's words and for their punishment.

"Now hold on there a second ol' chum-" stated a voice with both power and freedom behind every word from the other side of the lone door out of the brothers death chamber. "These boys may have acted independently and with disregard to both their well being and your 'reputation', Sergeant." continued the man who revealed himself to be General Westmoreland himself after opening the door "But they acted courageously, heroically, and risked their lives to save a man who risked his own for the U.S of A. They chose not to leave one of their own behind over their own well being, and if that's not what a soldier is meant to do then how in 'sam hell' did we win every war we have ever been in, Sergeant?" "Attentio-!" said Navy as he and Will immediately attempted to stand at attention for the General, but due to their legs being tied to their chair they ended up falling over on each other. "You boys may remain at ease as long as I'm around, but if it were any other officer then your immediate actions were commendable, but you still look like fools." commented Westmoreland looking upon Navy and Will on the ground. In this situation, Westmoreland would be essentially Judge, Jury and Executioner for any soldier on the field who goes against orders. But their God remained merciful due to their courageous actions of both delivering the ambassador and an injured soldier. "These boys will only be awarded their uniform, their unit designation and the honor of swabbing the Ranger's deck for one week before returning to active duty. And no, your given honor to swab her deck for said week will not be paid for, so that alone will be your punishment. In the meantime, I believe that you five as a soul unit will work as efficiently as any other twenty-odd division of soldiers we could put you in. Colonel, you will be placed as their director, their center of command and their higher chain of command. You-" Westmoreland continues now motioning towards Navy "- Staff Sergeant, will be unit leader both in and out of combat. You will be the one to lead your brothers into combat, and you-" now pointing at Will "- Corporal, will be his second in command. You all will report at 0500G on the Ranger's deck and receive your equipment and training to properly keep her deck clean. Dismissed!" "Yes Sir!" everyone else yelled as Westmoreland took his leave. God giveth and so may he taketh away at his own will. The brothers survived their second and third combat mission, second being the transport and rescue while the third was against Navy's father. "You boys are out of the oven now, but you're only cooling off before you get put right back in." said Navy's father releasing the boys from their captivity. "I'll see you on her deck dad." replied Navy, but to be returned only with "What was that Staff Sergeant?" from his father. "I'll be seeing you on deck Colonel!" with a salute from Navy. "You're goddamn right."

 **Apologies for how chunky these paragraphs were. I'm a victim to my own writing. As of now the 1st chapter has around 20 views and the 2nd half that. I genuinely appreciate everyone who reads this story, the next two chapters, spoiler warning, will be somewhat of a 'filler' chapters. Not to say don't read them, but don't expect 'too' much plot advancement. And For the Record, I do like making hints and references from time to time, t's how I add some comedy.**


	4. Chapter 4, The Ranger Leads the Way

**This story contains ample swearing through dialogue, details and allusions to death and violence. This story is based on real events** ** _but_** **is purely fictional and should not be taken seriously. I take the events mentioned during this story 100% seriously and have the full respect for the heroes who have fallen during war. Reader discretion is advised.**

March 9th, 1965 at 4:59 am, all the brothers are lined up outside the capital of the USS Ranger, awaiting for the General's orders. Right when Navy's watch hit 5, the General slammed opened the door expecting the brothers to be there, and was pleased at the sight. "You boys are lucky, even honored, to do such a task as to swab this fair lady's deck for the next week, and if you're on good behavior I might just let you serve as Rear Admiral Miller's personal butler you lucky sons-of-bitches!" The brothers stood like statues saluting the General, and behind him came the aforementioned Rear Admiral Henry L. Miller. "You boys will start off with dusting the whole deck first. It should be relatively easy compared to what we have for you later. Your supplies, bunks and latrines are on the 3rd deck. Food will be served every eight hours and you'll be working from 500G to 2200G. Any complaints about the Chef's food will be met with a meat cleaver and one of your fingers, so it's advised that you just don't. I'll be watching from the nest uptop and will announce when I've deemed your work satisfactory and have you move on to the next job. Oh, and for a butler, any of you know how to make good Earl Gray tea? You might get that special privilege if I like what you make." The brothers turned to Crack, who was an aficionado when it came to Earl Gray. "Sir, if I may-" requested Crack as to accept the role. "You may Private." permitted Miller. "Sir, I believe I am the most experienced when it comes to making tea and request a chance to prove it to you, Sir." "All right Private, I'll allow you the honor to make me a cup of Earl Grey tea, but be warned, I'll make you drink out of a bucket of dirty water after washing the floor if I don't like it." stated Miller motioning Crack to follow him. "Yes Sir!"

Miller and Crack left to kitchen as the others went to get their cleaning supplies. They only needed to sweep the deck which isn't that bad. The sun hadn't hit so they weren't roasting alive just yet. Not until around 7am was the sun in full blast. They were almost done with the angled deck yet were already steaming. Navy took Jig's broom and started duel brooming to get it done as fast as possible. About ten minutes after they finished, Navy was about ready to have a heatstroke. He looked over the edge and was about ready to jump in for a quick swim, but the brothers weren't allowed to leave the vessel or else then they'll be court martialed for abandoning their post. Johnny, Jig and Will were dragging Navy away from the edge with all their might. "Don't worry guys, just a quick swim, no one would notice..." said Navy, obviously delirious from dehydration. "Navy, we'll get in big trouble if you so happen to step a foot over the edge, you can't leave!" tried Will, but with no response from Navy. "I got it... Will, full nelson, Johnny go for his left leg, I'll get the right." said Jig pulling Navy down. They did so and managed to lift Navy off his feet. He squirmed and wiggled but they already had him immobilized. They ran to the door, opened it and threw Navy into the shade of the inside.

After not moving for a few seconds, Navy regained consciousness and realized what had just happened. "I guess I have to thank you for saving me-" Navy says, getting back on his feet and brushing off the dust "but if you boys tried that again I'll put the three of you in a headlock so tight you'll be tasting your adam's apple." "Which would of been nothing, compared to what would've happened if you jumped off that deck." came a voice above them. It belonged to Miller, who came to check up on them. "I would've tied you to the stern of the boat and used your head to hold on the brake strings for my planes."

He was coming down to give them their next orders before noticing the commotion. "I believe you've finished the deck, you'll get a ten minute break for grub and then it's to washing the planes." continued Miller. "Sir, what happened to Crack? It's been two hours and he didn't join us." said Will. "Private Crack? He's down in the kitchen making your food." replied Miller pointing down the stairs. "Our food!?" stated the brothers in unison. "You mean to say that he's making our food?" asked Johnny, showing signs of fear. "Is that an issue Private?" "Permission to speak freely Rear Admiral Miller?" requested Navy. "Permission granted, Staff Sergeant." replied Miller, with some confusion on the matter. "Sir, Crack could choke any veteran sailor with his atrocities to the culinary arts. He can make tea like a champ but that's all he's good for in terms of food." Crack was notorious for making really bad food, he'd either undercook, forget to toss salads or forget to clean the pans he uses. He's an endangerment to the whole ship and her crew. "What exactly was he tasked with making, Rear Admiral?" asked Jig. "I believe about fifteen slices of french toast, bowl full of sausages and bacon." "We're doomed" "Shall we abandon ship?" "Women and children last" "Where's the life preservers?". The brothers were fearing for their lives, they knew their time on earth was not for long. "You're all overreacting. I'm sure Private Crack will make an adequate meal for your hard work. Now go into the kitchen and eat, you're wasting precious daylight. That's an order." Miller hadn't yet understood he was sending the brothers to an early grave.

"Oh, there you all are. Come sit down, breakfast is about to be made. Hope you all like french toast." Crack seemed enthralled with his cooking that he didn't even notice the entire stove was a mess. "Crack, is the bacon burning?" asked Johnny. "Hmm? Nah they're fine. They need that extra crunch." "What about the sausages?" asked Jig. "Cooking to perfection, you could practically taste the meat by the smell alone." "And where's our french toast?" asked Navy. "In the toaster, duh." "WHAT!" yelled the brothers. Will followed up with "You don't actually toast french toast, you need a burner and batter. Where did you even get the batter anyways?" "Don't worry, I made it myself, turns out there's a recipe book in here. I was surprised too, turns out making batter for french toast is easy." "Hold on, you actually _**made**_ the batter? That requires a lot of materials that I can't believe are actually on a ship." "Well I found the alcohol, the jars are around and apparently the Chef had vanilla sticks on hand. I let them ferment for an hour and then prepared the batter with other basic materials." "You know vanilla takes around eight weeks to properly ferment? You just made alcohol with a hint of vanilla bean." noted Will. "I shook it up for around ten minutes, so it sped up the process." replied Crack. "BUT THAT'S NOT HOW IT WORKS!" yelled Will. "Oh shush. Sit down and get ready to eat."

Around two minutes later Crack came in with four plates. "Alright fellas, let's eat." What was on the table could be described as; burnt cardboard, plump, red caterpillars and very small pieces of what must of been the bacon, blacker than the darkest night. This was their true punishment, not for their misdemeanors in their final days, but this, this is the monument to all their sins. Crack brought over some cups, and a liter of O.J. "Well atleast we have something to wash it all down" stated Johnny. "Hmm, how much you wanna bet…" said Jig under his breath. The brothers looked at him in confusion, where as Jig proceeded to look at the bottom of the liter of O.J. " Zero one, zero one, one nine six zero..." "What code you speakin there boy?" said Navy. "January 1st, 1960. This expired more than five years ago." replied Jig. They all look at the liter as if it came alive, and with how old it is, there was probably something in there too. "Are you trying to make an assassination attempt on the Knights of the Round Table, Sir Crack?" stated Will, standing up and looking right at Crack. "Oh, those expiration dates are a bunch of baloney. They're just there to make you waste it all to buy more quicker. This stuff can last for years after 'expiration'" replied Crack, using his fingers to make quotations when he said expiration. "Stop complaining and eat, there are other people waiting to be served you know? Plus there's still work to be done, right?"

After saying their prayers, the brothers picked up their utensils, and looked at their last supper. They all simultaneously stuck their knives into the toasted toast, and an unironic 'Crack' could be heard at each motion of the knives. Navy was the first one to get a piece through the fork, followed by everyone else. They all slowly put the toast towards their mouths, ready to accept their fate, until.. "Everyone, come quick! They're sending in more Marines into Da Nang! It's on the radio." yelled one of the crew members from atop the stairs before the kitchen. "Oh what a shame for this food to go to waste, guess we'll have to eat another time" "Yeah this is gotta be important, let's go" etc. The brothers thought of something to say just to get up and go, and they were all out of there and in the capital head before the informing crew member even had a chance to turn around.

"This is Brigadier General Frederick J. Karch of the 9th Marine Expeditionary Brigade. As of right now we are currently sending over 3,000 Marines to land on Da Nang. The Marines have begun disembarking from the USS Henrico, Union, and Vancouver along with tanks from the 3rd Marine Tank Battalion. The weather seems to be acting strange. I sense a bad season of weather abroad. The locals are greeting our soldiers at the beach head as of now, but they all know that any one of them could make an attempt on their life. I as well, will soon disembark onto the beach. The Brigadier General Frederick J. Karch, signing off. "

"So the Marines finally landed?" "About fucking time, took em long enough" "They're still in South Vietnam, do they plan on winning by throwing rocks at the trees in the North?" "They're all just glory dogs, we already have the South secured, I don't know they don't just storm the capital" "Fool, this isn't an actual war involving the U.S, we're just supplying troops. The United Nations are the ones trying to 'keep the peace'"

Mixed conversations are brewing among the crew, however the brothers are just reveling in the fact the Marines just saved their lives, that'll be a first. "Alright, I was worried that something like this might happen…" said Navy. "What, the Marines landing?" replied Jig. "What? No. Us having to skip breakfast. I snagged a few C-Rations, and I also have a contact that'll be sending us… I guess a newer version of rations now being tested." "You tellin me they're trying to make C-Rations better? That's a good one." added Jig, scoffing at the idea. "Well, for your information, it is basically a C-Ration, however it doesn't weigh an unnecessary 5lbs, now half that weight. It also apparently comes with a mini stove and some C4." "So 'now' it is designed to kill us?" "The C4 in it is less than a square inch, not enough to do the big explosion, rather a really good flame" "Well, if and when it does kill us, no 'Ham and Motherfuckers' right?" "No, these are type 3s that don't have those omens. We'd be getting-" Navy then proceeded to pull out a small piece of paper "Beef in Spiced Sauce, Boned Chicken or Turkey, Chicken with Noodles in Broth, or Pork Steak Cooked in Juices. Four Cookies and a packet of Cocoa powder. And white bread." "I'll trade anyone my meal, plus the cookies and cocoa if they get the noodles in broth" stated Jig.

Miller was busy with relaying information from Karch, the General was taking part in his routine 'tactical' napping, and now the brothers are taking this chance to try those meals. Before they went down the stairs, Jig peeked down to see if Crack, and his monstrosities, were still present. "Coast is clear…" they begin descending the stairs, which is very poorly lit up, since the sun was still towards the west. "You hear that?" said Jig, holding position. The sound of footsteps on metal could be heard. "Enemy combatant, get down!" The brothers flatten up against the wall, now engulfed by the shadow of the ship. "Stay in the shadows". It was non other than Crack, he went towards the opening of the stairs, yet didn't look at them. He didn't notice his brothers, and went back to whatever he was doing. "That was a close one" said Jig. They continued downstairs to their bunk rooms.

There were five packages on the floor in front of Navy's bed, sealed with tape and stamped all over. "Those must be the MCIs, Meal, Combat, Individual. The boxes are a lot bigger than I was told, I think there's a serving for four in each. Do the math, and we got enough for the five of us to last four meals each." Navy moved over to the boxes to inspect them. "Each box is about 25 lbs, so don't drop them or you'll make a really loud noise." The floor of their room was metal, smooth with no sharp edges, but cold and rusted in the corners. "We can't waste em all the first few days, we need to make them last to the end of the week, and most importantly we cannot tell anyone about them. Someone'll either blackmail us or just rat us out for having this stuff. But Satan be damned before I go all week only on Crack's cooking." "Agreed, we'll tell Crack later about them, but for now let's not eat em just yet. You still got the C-Rations right?" said Will. "Yeah, I doubt anyone would mind if we had these around. If they're not willing to eat them then they're not willing to tell anyone about them." Navy procured five C-Rations himself, and in the large box there were five more. "These aren't enough for regular meals, so we'll still have to have some of Crack's cooking, I believe the least fuck-upable meal for Crack would be lunch. I have an idea, let's eat one set of C-Rations today, and give Crack one as a sort of apology for leaving his 'breakfast' before eating" said Jig, grabbing one extra C-Ration. "All right, let's do this"

Few minutes after, the brothers find Crack, still in the kitchen area, but there's no more smell of burnt food so he must not of been cooking. "Crack-" Jig yelled, "We got something for you." Jig came over with the C-Ration and handed it to Crack. "Since we couldn't eat your breakfast, we'd thought it be a good idea to instead start adjusting our stomachs to rations now before we go back into action. As good as your cooking might be, it's pretty likely are stomachs will get spoiled and not be able to adapt well enough when the time comes." "Oh, I see where you're coming from. Shame, I was really hoping to be the next Top Chef, but I guess that's not my place…" replied Crack with a sigh. "O.K how about this, I show you how to work with the bare minimum. We don't have enough to last us the whole week, so we'll still rely on your cooking to keep us fed, but just let me take the lead" said Will. "Alright then, let's eat!" replied Crack.

The brothers are now seated at a table, with five things of C-Rations in front of them. "Hey Navy, which types of C-Rations did you get?" asked Johnny, now that everyone realizes there's no distinct way of telling the difference since Navy didn't grab the menu identifier. "I thought they said it on the top of the box, but every side is blank. And I didn't check to see what I was grabbing, there was just a miscellaneous pile and I grabbed a few and mailed some more." Can rations usually have some label on them, but these ones had them scraped off. There was no way of telling which one was which. "So you're telling me any one of these could have any variations of 'Motherfuckers' in them? And we have no way of telling." A sailor walked by the kitchen and noticed the boys looking at their rations. He came over to inspect and understood their pause. "When you boys have been in the military as long as I have, you know which cases are edible and which are poison." the sailor looks closely at each of the rations, and smirks. "Not all of you have ones with Motherfuckers, but one of you does. Actually, all but one of you has something particularly decent, have fun trying to figure out which is which." the sailor said now walking away. "So one of us has the thing that doesn't belong here, we could either determine which is which for future reference or just go in blind" said Will. "Let's inspect them first for any major differences" replied Johnny.

The brothers pushed the rations towards the center of the table and inspected them under the light before opening them. They shook each of their cans to hear what was inside. Crack's sounded like something with a liquid inside it. Johnny's, Jig and Will had something solid but sounded squishy, and Navy had something that sounded like slosh. "I guess I have some sort of stew in mine" said Crack. "We probably got something without any particular liquids, but we definitely have solids" said Johnny. "Then that must mean... " Navy looked at his can as if it was trying to kill him. "Well, no point in waiting, let's open them and see" said Will.

Crack opened first, revealing Beef stew and Vegetables. "Not bad"

Johnny opened next, revealing Chicken and Vegetables. "O.K"

Then Will, with Chopped ham, egg and potatoes. "Decent"

Jig was lucky, revealing Meat and Noodles. "Aw hell yeah"

Then Navy, who was left with the ham and lima beans. "God help me"

"Well Navy, 's been nice knowing you" "Don't fret… we'll carry that weight" "We'll never forget you". Goodbyes were said to Navy as he blankly stared into his last meal. The others began digging into theirs before Navy could try to talk them into giving him some of theres. "Man mode" whispered Navy. He then began drilling into the can with nothing but a spork and his mouth, and by the time the others noticed he was already half way through. In the ham and lima beans there was a mash filling which allowed the food to go down smoother. Navy attempted not to chew and essentially threw the food down his gullet. When he was almost done he threw away the spoon and slammed the can right above his mouth, launching the remnants down beyond terminal velocity. Imagine Popeye and his spinach, but with something more lethal. He swallowed it all with one huge lump in his throat. He slammed the can back onto the table with nothing but remnant mash left inside, along with some around his lips. He looked at everyone, who stopped eating their meal to watch the spectacle. With heavy breathing, Navy said "Git...good... kids" and then passed out. Not due to the food ironically, but since he forgot to breath along the way.

A few hours have passed. The brothers carried Navy to their room, putting him on the solo bunk in the middle towards the back. The others would have to sleep on double stacked bunks. At first, they waited around ten minutes to see if he'll wake up, but Miller needed more jobs to be done, so they rotated shifts with one person with Navy and the others working. After the third hour, Johnny went to check up on Navy who was already awake. "What happened to me? Where am I?" Navy started saying not yet realizing Johnny was in the room. "Take it slow, bro. You just manmoded one of the most dangerous things the military can offer its troops. The United Nations would accuse us for biological warfare if we tried to use that against our enemies." Johnny was making sure Navy wouldn't hit himself into anything before he regained full consciousness. "Oh right… the Beans and Motherfuckers… God have I never regretted anything so fast… the last thing I remember was looking into an empty can of that stuff." "Well you definitely put the awe in Awesome. Most men wouldn't do that for a dare, let alone for lunch. I also had the chance to find a pamphlet of the nutritional value of that stuff, a lot of protein and the mash has very few calories. In reality, that can would be nothing more than a snack, and I'd advise eating some fiber or you're gonna have a bad time. And lastly, you passed out from suffocating yourself, you're lucky you passed out when it all went down or we might not be talking right now. The Doctor ordered no heavy lifting or extensive exercises like running until after you fall asleep normally. That brain in there needs as much oxygen it can get, no hyper ventilating or you'll damage your brain. You can do non strenuous chores but nothing more." "Thanks Doc, also how long has it been?" "Around three hours." "Then I might as well get back to work. What's the Admiral having us do today?" "Swabbing the 2nd floor, which was ordered about an hour ago so we should be doing something else now. Come on, we can't keep them waiting." "Yeah, let's go." Johnny lifted Navy off the bed and watched to see if he's able to move, which he passed with flying colors.

"So there's the suicidal maniac, had a nice nap?" Jig had to crawl into spaces the others couldn't reach and clean all forms of gunk and debris. "Let it go Jig, Navy just made Popeye look like baby with that stunt, give him some credit." Will said before Jig could continue. "You two weren't the ones who had to do the heavy lifting, do you know how much those storage boxes weigh? Because I don't, since I have no idea what's in them!" Crack intervened. "Well then you'd better get used to it because Navy won't be lifting anything he can't carry in one hand until he gets a good night's sleep." replied Johnny. "And why does he get special treatment?" inquired Jig. "Doctors orders boy scouts, so quit your whining and GET BACK TO WORK!" This came from General Westmoreland who was preparing to leave before he heard the commotion. The last thing he wanted to hear was complaining.

 **As stated, a filler part. This was the last one I finished before I stopped making more so the next time you see a new chapter may not be for a while. I appreciate the solid 40+ views and I'd appreciate it if you could share this with others. I think I may do just one more filler episode and then we'll get back into the action. And as always, stay tuned for the next chapter.**


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